Monalisa Patsani, OP
Bhubaneswar, June 5: The much-hyped Paika rebellion gallery at Orissa State Museum is yet to be thrown open to visitors, even months after its inauguration. Orissa POST conducted an investigation, only to find that the authorities have failed to finalise the functional time of the gallery—causing the delay in allowing visitors. The gallery was inaugurated in March to celebrate 200 years of Paika rebellion. The culture and tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda had announced during the inauguration that the light and sound show at the new gallery will be free for visitors till the ticketing system comes in place. However, visitors have apparently not been able to see any of these ‘free shows.’ Orissa POST interacted with the museum authorities to get their version of the story. “There are many governmental procedures that need to be completed before we allow entry of the visitors. It is being delayed as we are yet to decide on the functioning time and ticket charges for the gallery,” said Jayanti Rath, curator of the museum. “We have decided to charge Rs 20 per person. But, the decision is yet to be finalised. Moreover, we are also yet to decide the timing and number of shows per day,” she added. The Paika rebellion gallery was made at an expenditure of Rs 50 lakh. It depicts the rich history of Paika rebellion with beautiful paintings, collections of photographs and a light and sound show. The 40 minutes-long documentary contains all the details of Paika rebel.The show has been written and directed by Ravishankar Rath and voiced by Padmavati Devi and Biren Mishra. The delay, in letting visitors to see the gallery, has led to disappointments among denizens. “I have heard about the new galleries at the museum. I have seen the mask gallery that was opened recently. I found that some of the collections are very good. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to see the show on Paika rebellion. This is disappointing. ”
